Dinner Break Chapter Three has just been released! This one was a roller coaster to write, and I hope you all enjoy it. As always, spoilers follow.

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So I’m still trying my hardest to turn a new leaf and release chapters on time, and I came a bit closer this month, having finished the chapter’s first version around the 29th. However, this particular chapter got delayed, because I was running it by some beta editors. I’m lucky enough to know a few autistic female writers who I trust enough to know about my writing (which is practically a statistical miracle), and I wanted to run this chapter by them specifically to ensure they approved of my depictions. I ended up getting a lot of notes back, and ended up changing a lot about the chapter, from minor details to major plot points. This chapter is nearly unrecognizable when compared to its plan, which is wholly a good thing. It also meant this chapter got out a bit slower, but for this chapter specifically, I preferred the tradeoff.

There are some groups that a writer can accidentally depict in a condescending or dismissive way, or maybe in a way that perpetuates some negative stereotypes or causes that group further harm. Frankly, as long as the will of a majority is conditioned to be against them, any group can be oppressed. Because the whole point of that sentiment lies in how “the majority” contains most people, most of us won’t be able to easily see exactly how those groups are oppressed. “To walk a mile in their shoes,” and all that. I’m not, to my knowledge, on the autism spectrum, nor am I a woman, but I’m also not specifically an autistic woman, which can often have unique experiences that no autistic man or neurotypical woman experiences. Because the voices of the many, even when trying to be correct, often outnumber and drown the voices of the few, it’s often helpful to hear from members of that group themselves. I’m very grateful to my editors for helping me in this way.

A lot of their comments were very insightful. Thankfully, I didn’t get something offensively false. I also, for the record, was treated very well, with their comments constructive, helpful, but also friendly. I find that when people feel like they’re being genuinely listened to, they’re often very respectful, engaging, and good-faith.

I really enjoy writing from different perspectives, but I also believe that if an author is going to write from other perspectives, they need to respect the “source material” and learn from other perspectives. That’s why we collecting enjoy reading; to explore, and to learn. And this collective feedback, of course, includes yourself, whether it be for the purpose of correcting something wrong, but also what you relate to. I love how many comments are from people just empathizing with emotions the characters felt. It’s an amazing feeling to know that a feeling is being shared. I appreciate that about you all, and I hope you continue being deep feelers. I’ll talk to you all next week.

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